Faux Tooled Leather

Well, I haven't found my brayer, yet, but I really wanted to try this technique- then it dawned on me...I work in an elementary school- one with a huge, fully-stocked art studio!!! So, I borrowed a brayer from the art teacher! Not sure why it took me so long to realize that! :)

So, today I was finally able to try out the Faux Tooled Leather technique...and it's SO easy! Here is the card that I made using this technique:

Here is a quick tutorial of how to create this tooled leather look:

Faux Tooled Leather Technique:

1. Using a piece of dark brown card stock, run it through the Cuttlebug or Big Shot using your favorite Cuttlebug embossing folder or texture plate. (I ran it through 4 or 5 times to make sure that I got a good image.) Embossing folders or texture plates with larger designs work best.

2. Using a VersaMark or embossing pad and the brayer, I covered the card stock with VersaMark, being careful to cover all raised areas completely. Only the raised areas should be coated with VersaMark. You don't want to push so hard that the recessed areas are covered.

3. I then covered the card stock with clear embossing powder, shaking off any extra powder that may be in the recessed areas.

4. Using a heat tool, heat and set the powder creating the faux leather look.

My dad used to do tooled leather as a hobby when I was little. When I saw this technique it reminded me of all the items that he used to make- belts, purses, wallets, etc., then I thought how wonderful it would be with Bombshell Stamps' new western images! I left my card with little decoration to show off the 'tooled leather'-look.

I hope you'll give this technique a try. I can't wait to see what you come up with!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hambo Hoedown- I Need A Hero! and Use It Tuesday

The following two cards were both made for the Use It Tuesday challenge- Pretty Paper. The challenge was to ::gasp!:: cut into the pretty patterned papers that we've been hoarding...well, I did it!!! Here are the cards I made using my beloved papers...

This week's Hambo Hoedown Challenge was to use this adorable Hero Bird digi-image AND a sketch. Here's what I came up with:

Cardstock used is SU's Chocoalte Chip, Old Olive, and Cherry Cobbler. The patterned paper is from the Guy Thing series by Close To My Heart. (I've had this paper like forever and didn't want to use it because I might not be able to get anymore!!) The adorable hero bird was printed onto GP110 white cardstock and colored with my Copic Markers. I sponged around the edge using Old Olive ink. The Cherry Cobbler panel was embossed in my Cuttlebug using the stars embossing folder. My cards was VERY loosely based on the sketch that they provided, but I think it still qualifies.

This next card was made for a friend's challenge. Amanda, one of my fellow Maryland Stampers, found this pretty flower basket freebie digi-image online from Karen's Doodles and challenged us to create a card using this digi. It's such a pretty image!! Here's what I made for that challenge:

Cardstock used is SU's Bashful Blue, Old Olive, and Cherry Cobbler. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey's Eskimo Kisses pack. (I have SO many Basic Grey paper packs. I love to finger through them and look at all of the pretty designs...not sure I actually like USING them!) :) The image was printed out on GP110 white cardstock and colored using Copic Markers. Small pieces of Old Olive twill ribbon and garnet-colored self-stick gems from Bling IT (Basic Grey) were added to the corners. I'm really happy with how this turned out. It's been fun seeing what the other girls have created using this image. Each one is so very different from the other! Thanks, Amanda, for a fun challenge!

If you came here looking for my Christmas Card of the week...sorry! With the weather slowly turning warmer, I've lost that Christmas spirit...hopefully I'll be able to get some more Christmas cards made soon!

S-A-S FUN!

I spent this afternoon at a friend's house for a Stampin' Up Birthday Stamp-A-Stack. We had such a great time stamping, chatting, and of course- eating! :) We made 4 different cards, 2 of each design. Here are the wonderful cards we made:

Grunge Rock and Extreme Elements

Plane and Simple

Not sure which set this is from, but I MUST get some of this designer paper!!

Sweet Birthday

Stamp-A-Stacks are a great way to build up your stash! I'll be ready for a few birthdays at least!
Thanks to Paula for hosting this event. I had a great time and can't wait till the next one!

Bombshell Design Team Call!

Bombshell Stamps is looking for new design team members! We need your help and enthusiasm promoting our products through your personal blog and online galleries. We are looking for team members who are excited about stamping, love Bombshell Stamps, and would love being a part of a fun and friendly design environment. More information can be found here.

If chosen, your term will run for 6 months beginning on April 1, 2011 thru October 1, 2011. This call is open to all. But hurry! The deadline to apply is 12:00am PST on March 14th!

Check out the current design team members here.

Have you signed up to get the Bombshell Stamps newsletter? If not, you might want to sign up now to get a coupon for 20% off your order PLUS all the Bombshell Stamps news PLUS the chance to win a $100 Bombshell Gift certificate PLUS the info about the call for the next six (6) monthly Bombshell Pin-Up Girls, our name for Bombshell Stamps' Guest Design Team members! Click here to sign up now!

Two 4 Tuesday- Two Challenges and a Goof

This weeks' Hambo Hoedown was a lot of fun...the image that Hambo provided us to use in the challenge was this adorable pelican. We were to make a "beachy" card using the colors tan, blue, and brown. So, here's what I came up with:

Not quite exactly what I had in mind when I started. I feel that it "needs" something but didn't know what. All colored cardstock are Stampin' Up- Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, and Cherry Cobbler. The images were printed onto GP110 white cardstock and colored using Copic Markers. The crab and sentiment are also from Hambo Stamps. I am also submitting this card to Craft Your Passion Challenge where we were to make a "man card".

The second card that I made was to be for the 7 Kids College Fund Challenge, however, I just realized I didn't follow the "rules". The challenge was to make a SQUARE card, and, obviously, this card isn't square- oh, well. She's adorable anyway!

The image is from the Mimosa series by Bildmalarna. I love these images- they're so sweet! The white cardstock is GP110. I also used SU's Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler. The image was stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black and colored using Copic Markers. The white panel was run through the Cuttlebug using the Dotted Swiss embossing folder.

I hope you've enjoyed these cards. I do apologize for the crooked scans...I couldn't see to get anything straight today! :) See you again soon!

Pot 'o Gold- Bombshell-Style

Being a "wee bit" Irish, I love St. Patrick's Day and here is a St. Patrick's Day card Bombshell-Style:

I LOVE the pirate girl image so I decided to make her a leprechaun...EVERY leprechaun should look this good! :) She's stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copics. The pot of gold is from Bombshell's Holiday Accessories set and I "colored" the "gold" using a gold Spica Pen and then added a few more gold coins that were left over in my stash. The card base is SU Chocoalte Chip. The yellow layer is something I had in my scrap box. It was bought already zig-zagged. The green patterned paper is some that I received in a blog candy long ago so I'm not sure who makes it, although I "think" that it's from Close To My Heart. I had a little difficulty getting the layers layered onto the yellow panel straight, but...it is what it is...

Hope to see you again tomorrow for my Two 4 Tuesday blogpost. Until then, have a great day!

What's Up Wednesday- OBG Blog Hop!

Welcome!! It's time once again for the Design D.I.V.A.S. Oldies But Goodies blog hop. First of all, in case you don't know, Design D.I.V.A.S. is a group of very talented ladies who come together to share friendship and their love of papercrafting. D.I.V.A.S. is short for Divine, Inspirational, Virtuous, Artistic (or annointed) Sistahs. There are actually 2 different Design D.I.V.A.S. groups- the original group on Splitcoast Stampers, and then the second group on Facebook. I'm in the Facebook group. Okay, on to why you're really here...

You should have arrived here from **Maria's blog**. If you didn't, go back to **Brenda's blog** to start at the beginning of the hop. You really DON'T want to miss anything!

The Oldies But Goodies blog hop (every 3rd Wednesday of the month) was created to challenge the D.I.V.A.S. to use "old" stamps and accessories that we've had for more than 6 months. Well, I have LOTS of stamps and accessories WAY older than 6 months that need some love, so this challenge is never a problem for me! :) Here's my card:

This image, the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, is from PSX. I bought it probably 6 or 7 years ago from Michael's- maybe more, but had never put it to ink. I love lighthouses, especially the Thomas Point lighthouse, since this one is in Maryland. As I was rummaging through a drawer, I found this stamp and decided this was the one I would use for this month's challenge. I stamped the image onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I love how crisply the image stamps! I layered the image panel onto Basic Black and then Cherry Cobbler. The card base is also Cherry Cobbler and the patterned paper is from the Majestic Blue series from Close To My Heart. I pierced around the top edges and then using the Word Window punch and punching from Cherry Cobbler, I added the strips to each side of the image, attaching with antiqued copper brads. The image is popped up using dimensionals. I love how this turned out and think I will use it for one of my guy's birthdays this year.

Now, "hop" on over to **Melissa's blog** for the next stop on your journey!

My Secret Sister Strikes Again!

My secret sister sent me THE most FABULOUS card!! Check this out!!!

The pictures definitely don't do it justice! All I can say is WOW! I LOVE IT! I've only made one card like this- at a shoebox- and it was a PITA! My SS must really like me to put all of this work into a card for me! :D THANK YOU, SS, whoever you are!!!

Dude Time Doodles Challenge!

I recently discovered Dude Time Doodles digital stamps. They offer "manly" images...some are very funny! They have a challenge blog, too, so I thought I would go ahead and enter. They provided the digi-image- Shamus Shamrock- and he's doing an Irish jig. Here is my submission for the challenge:

He's cute, but his eyes kinda give me the creeps! :) I printed Shamus onto GP110 white cardstock and colored him using Copic Markers. I then sponged SU Green Galore ink around the edges and layered the image panel onto Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black. The card base is Pumpking Pie with a layer of Garden Green. The patterned papers are from Basic Grey. I found some gold coins in my stash so thought I would add those as part of the leprechaun's gold. I also added 2 gold stick-on beads.

I had fun with this challenge and look forward to more with Dude Time Doodles. Go check 'em out!!

This Week's Christmas Card

Here is this week's Christmas card...a boring, but simple card...it took less than 10 minutes to make.

The hedgie image is from SU's retired Holiday Hedgehogs. The image is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock (hindsight says I should have used Very Vanilla instead...oh, well!) I colored the image using my SU Basic Black marker, omitting the To and From. I colored the image using my Prisma pencils. The base is Crumb Cake with a layer of Garden Green. The patterned paper is a scrap from my scrap box so I have no idea anymore who makes it. The ribbon is from Offray.

Hope you have a great week! Don't forget to come back on Tuesday for my Two 4 Tuesday post and on Wednesday for the Design D.I.V.A.S. Oldies But Goodies blog hop!

I've Got My Eyes On You!

It's Hoedown time, again!!! The Hambo Hoedown to be specific! Since I participated in the very first Hoedown last week, I received a digi-image to use for this week's challenge. It's called Eye Monster and comes with a cute spotted monster and 2 sentiments. For this week's challenge, we were to use the image that we received plus one sentiment AND a heart somewhere on our project! Here's my submission for the challenge:

Isn't he just TOO cute?? I printed the image on GP110 white cardstock and colored him using my Copic Markers. I then outlined him using W2 and cut him out. He's popped up on dimensionals. The cardstock is SU's retired Green Galore, Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black. The patterned papers are from the Lime Rickey pack from Basic Grey. For my added hearts, I put a gold heart brad in alternating corners. I think it turned out to be an adorable Valentine! Check out the Hambo Hoedown here, and check out Hambo Stamps, too!!

Published!

I came home today to find my complimentary copy of Just Cards! Birthdays, Volume 2 in my mailbox! I was very excited to see that I had a card published in this issue!

I know many of you have lots of cards published, but it's still new to me and it's exciting to see my name and my work in a magazine. Here is the card that was published:

This card is in the Children's Birthday Cards section on page 111. My friend, Amanda had two cards published, and so did my fellow Designing D.I.V.A., Carrie. Another D.I.V.A., Tenia, also had a card published in this issue. Congratulations, ladies! I'm in GREAT company!!

(If you'd like to see more about this card, check out my original blog post here )

What's Up?? Secret Sister!

My stamping group, the Meade Girls, decided to do a Secret Sister swap. Our swap will last for 3 months, exchanging 2 cards per month by mail, then at the beginning of May, we'll get together for lunch and the big reveal. We'll also exchange a homemade gift at the reveal! Secret Sister swaps are always SO much fun! I just LOVE getting ideas on different layouts, techniques and stamps. Yesterday, I received my first card! Take a look at this!

I love the springy colors! The flowers all have glitter centers and I love how she used vellum to "wrap" the flowers in!!! There are also more flowers inside the card running down that strip of blue cardstock. THANK YOU secret sister- whoever you are!!!

Two 4 Tuesday...and A New Find!

Through one of my Design D.I.V.A.S. sisters, I heard about Bildmalarna stamps. Well, let me tell you, they are THE cutest stamps I've seen in a long time!!! Especially the Mimosa series stamps.
This card is made using Mimosa. She is adorable!! And the images are so much fun to color!


This one is made using the Mimosa-Easter image.

The faces are just adorable and each image is as cute as the one before it! Check 'em out here!

Thanks to my fellow Meade Girl, Gloria, for loaning me her Bildmalarna stamps! I will definitely be putting in an order!

Thanks for stopping by! Oh...and in case you're interested, I'm STILL looking for my brayer! :)

LOVE My Ravens!

Hambo Stamps now has a challenge blog! What's so great is that you get FREE digi images to play along with! And even better- the more you play, the more FREE digi images you get! How cool is that??? This is KICKOFF week for the Hambo Hoedown and being that this was Super Bowl week, they offered a free football digi image to use for the challenge!!!

I decided to make a card honoring my beloved Baltimore Ravens...

Even though the Ravens didn't make it to the Super Bowl, they had a great year! I'm already looking forward to next year and rooting my Ravens on to another Super Bowl victory!

Christmas Card of the Week- Be Naughty

Hello, and happy Sunday! Here is my Christmas Card of the Week.

The image is from Stamps By Judith. The Santa image is R52 and the sentiment is H90. The image and sentiment were stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored Santa using my Copic Markers- R37, E21, W1, W2, W3, G07, 100. I also used SU's More Mustard marker to color the buckles. All papers are from Stampin' Up- Real Red, Creamy Caramel and some older scrap of one of their Christmas DSP sets. I doodled around the edge of the main image using my SU Basic Black marker. I also applied black glitter adornments from My Favorite Things to each end of the sentiment using Alene's Jewel-It glue. The finished card is 5-1/4" square.

I have a really FUN technique to show you, but first I need to find my brayer. I've lost it "somewhere" in my stamp room. I KNOW it's there, but I just can't seem to FIND it! :) Hopefully it'll show up soon. I really want to give this new technique I saw a try! Have a great week and keep checking back!

Unleash Your "Inner Bombshell"

I challenged the Bombshell Stamps Design Team to unleash their inner bombshell. They were to create a project...make it sexy, make it sultry, make it however they "see" their inner bombshell. It was a very vague challenge, but of course the Design Team did not disappoint!

My inner bombshell is the singer Shakira. That girl has a great body and boy, she knows how to move it! (Check out this YouTube video of her dancing!) I've always loved belly dancing and I've even taken classes (now THAT was something to see!), but as of yet, I don't have (and doubt very seriously that I ever will have!) the type of body that can move like Shakira. So, here is my project that shows how I see MY inner bombshell:


The card is made using Bombshell Stamps' Butterfly Queen stamp set. She always reminded me of a belly dancer...and she has the body to go along with it! She is stamped onto GP100 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Ink and colored using Copic Markers, the cut out. All papers are from Stampin' Up- Basic Black, Brocade Blue, Green Galore and one of their designer papers that I can't remember the name of. I ran the black and white DP through my Cuttlebug using SU's Square Lattice embossing folder. I thought the paper design and the texture of the lattice embossing gave it a middle-Eastern feel. The image is popped up using dimensionals, and I attached green stick-on rhinestones to her halter and belt, as well as on alternating corners.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Forget-Me-Nots

Earlier in the week, I came home to find a package in the mail from a dear friend, Tracy. Tracy and her family moved to Alaska over the summer. Moving to Alaska was a big change from living in Maryland, however, I do believe that Tracy is embracing Alaska. She sent me a wonderful Valentine package of forget-me-nots, Alaska's state flower.

In the package, she had a memo pad and magnet set from Alaska. She also included a little tin full of goodies with a tiny forget-me-not on top.

She also included a cello bag with some beautiful handmade forget-me-nots made of blue gingham ribbon. How wonderful!!

...and this beautiful Valentine's Day card.

Tracy, thank you so much for your thoughtfulness!! Your package really brightened up my cold and snowy day!!

What's Up? Happy Birthday, Julie!

Not only is today Groundhog Day, but it also would have been my niece, Julie's 35th birthday. In September 2007, we lost Julie to cervical cancer. She fought a long, hard battle, but in the end, she lost that battle. She was only 31, so young, with so much life ahead of her, however cancer doesn't care who or when it will take a life.

Again, I am declaring February to be "Julie's Month". I will donate $1.00 per comment that I receive on this blog during the month of February. I will donate that money to my school's Relay For Life team, to benefit the American Cancer Society, in Julie's memory.

Every family is touched by cancer is one way or another. Please help me help find a cure for this horrible disease. Last year, I received 147 comments during February and I made a $150 donation to the American Cancer Society.

Please come back often and make sure to leave a comment on my posts. Thank you for your support!

Two 4 Tuesday- Sympathy

Welcome to my "Two 4 Tuesday" blog post. This week I had to make not one, but two sympathy cards for two of my Meade Girl stamping friends. One lost her sister-in-law, the other lost a dear uncle. Sympathy cards are always so hard for me to make.

The first one was made using Stampin' Up's Thoughts & Prayers stamp set. The tree and sentiment were stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The sentiment was punched out using SU's scalloped oval punch. Both the sentiment and the main image were sponged around the edges using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. The card base is Basic Black with a layer of Pretty in Pink which has been run through the Cuttlebug using the Square Lattice embossing folder.

I attached SU's Pretty in Pink buttons to the corners using ZOTS glue dots and light pink stick-on rhinestones by Bling It (Basic Grey) to the tree branched.

The next card was made using my all-time favorite A Tree For All Seasons. Again, the image and sentiment were stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock. The oak tree was cut out using my circle Nestabilities, with a black round scallop layered underneath.

The card base is Basic Black with a layer of Very Vanilla and Newsprint DSP. The sentiment was punched out using the scalloped oval punch and layered onto Basic Black. The main image and the vanilla oval sentiment were popped up on dimensionals.

I do hope that these cards will express my sympathy to my friends and that they will know that they are both in my thoughts and prayers.